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After a few more hours of work, I fell asleep on the couch. Nathaniel and Gabby spent the rest of the night talking. From then on, there was no stopping them, except that Gabby was not ready to settle down. Nathaniel knew he had found the woman he wanted to marry, so he would wait as long as it took.
“So,” I finished my story. “For the last two years, they’ve been sort of dating. They don’t date other people but are not officially together.”
“I mean, even I can tell he’s head over heels for her.”
“Oh yeah. He can see color because of her.”
“Really? Can Gabby see color?”
“Yeah, but she was born that way. I sometimes hate that she knows what the trees look like or the color of the water, but I have to wait for my heart or brain to decide that I love some stupid boy. She believes that you see color by choosing to love someone. She thinks that what matters is committing to a person and, if you do that, then the colors will develop.”
“What do you think?” he stared at the ground.
“I don’t know. I almost chose to be with someone who gave me no color, so I think any scenario is possible. I’ve resigned to thinking it’ll happen when the time is right. But also, the more time that goes on, the more I think that Gabby is right. I think there needs to be a conscious choice to love someone, to fight for them daily, and to put them above anything else. But I’ve never been in that position.”
“Not even with Erik?”
“Nope. I chose my job. I would argue that I did choose him, even if temporarily, but Gabby thinks I settled. She thinks that subconsciously, I wasn’t fully choosing him, but I don’t know. He was my best friend in the world for twenty years, then we decided to give our relationship a shot and moved in together. We lived in the same six-hundred-square-foot apartment for two years but fought all the time.”
“What did you fight about?”
“You name it, we fought over it. We both have tempers. Towards the end, it was mostly my career and hours that caused the issues. He wasn’t happy with how much I worked or how often I traveled.”
There was a short yet heavy silence. He slipped his hand into mine as we walked.
“It doesn’t matter, honestly,” I sighed. “It would be nice to see color. To see the beautiful sunrise or the contrast of the clouds. I’d like to see what my eyes look like one day. Erik always said that was his favorite part of me. But I don’t know a different world. I just want to die believing that I had been happy regardless of color.”
“Are you happy?” he asked.
“At this second, or overall?”
“Both.”
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
It was true. I was happy overall. I loved Virginia, and my career was on an upward trajectory. My boy situation was…interesting…but I was happy.
The contentment I felt at this moment was also unmatched. The gravel path crunched under my feet as beads of sweat ran down my forehead. The chirping birds added background music to our walk, and the sun snuck through the small spaces between the trees. This was peace.
“Okay, stop,” Parker said. “Are you ready? I’m going to cover your eyes before we turn the corner.”
He moved behind me and covered my eyes. “I don’t know. I’ll let you know if I’m ready when we get there.”
He gingerly guided me the few yards to where the trees opened. I wasn’t sure what I would be looking at, but the sunshine warmed my body. Laughter from people still somewhat in the distance reached my ears, and the humidity in the air increased. He moved his hands from my eyes, lingering and placing them on my waist.
The picturesque view in front of me was incredible. My breath hitched. Parker sighed triumphantly, looking at my face. I didn’t know something like this existed so close to home.
The incredible waterfall in front of me basked in the glow of the sun and stirred the tranquil pond at the bottom. A dirt landing on one side had tens of people enjoying the view, taking in the sun, and rustling through bags while sitting on towels. It was reminiscent of the beach. The water was completely clear, revealing a rocky bottom.
Even in a colorless world, it was incredibly breathtaking. Parker pulled me to him, my back pressed against his chest, and wrapped his arms around me.
“I remember you telling me that you miss the water. This was the best I could find within a short drive.”
“This is incredible…” I turned, threw my arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arm around my waist and planted a hard, longing kiss on my lips.
